Eagles buy time, little else

March 09, 2010|Nick Fierro

F orking over $1.5 million to Michael Vick this week is one thing. Handing him another $3.75 million for services rendered in the upcoming 2010 season is another.

All the Eagles will do with their move to exercise Vick's roster bonus today is buy more time for a trade, presumably for a draft pick they essentially hoped they were purchasing when they structured his two-year contract in the first place.

So the biggest splash the Eagles have made in free agency, which began in the NFL last Friday, is signing two of their own restricted free agents to extensions.

Fullback Leonard Weaver's three-year deal was announced Friday. Wide receiver Jason Avant signed for five more years on Monday. Both moves were not unexpected. Same with their strategy for keeping Vick around a little longer.

The only problem with what they're doing with Vick is that they're running out of options as potential suitors keep moving forward with roster moves.

The St. Louis Rams, for example, were said to be very interested in Vick, at least as a backup and maybe as a starter. But they wound up going for another quarterback with experience in the Eagles' system instead when they signed free agent A.J. Feeley to a two-year contract on Saturday.

And the San Francisco 49ers have signed David Carr to back up Alex Smith at first and maybe even to take over for him eventually, since coach Mike Singletary ''isn't married'' to the idea of Smith as a starter.

Speaking of uneasy marriages, Vick, who spent 18 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring and another six in a halfway house before returning to the NFL in a halfway role with the Eagles last year, wants a new arrangement. This comes after playing sparingly as a backup and wildcat specialist, getting just enough action to crave it on a full-time basis.

Now that he's gone on record numerous times saying he wants to be a starter again, it doesn't necessarily mean the Eagles will look to accommodate him. They will trade him, however, if the deal is right for them. That won't matter whether he's wanted as a starter or a backup.

But barring some kind of unforeseen opening with a team that might, say, lose its starting quarterback to a season-ending injury or prison time -- more on that later -- in training camp, Vick should be made to understand a starting job (and the money that comes with it) probably just isn't feasible this year.

That said, Vick likely will not be an Eagle when the curtain rises on 2010.

As for his limited playing exposure with the Eagles, they received as much production as they reasonably could have hoped for when they rolled the dice last August.

Vick wasn't the kind of quarterback, after two full seasons away from the game, who could step in and be a potential difference-maker every week. He was the kind of athlete, if utilized properly, who could make a game-changing play in a key spot along the line and perhaps make a difference in a season.

Turns out he delivered on exactly that kind of play when he came off the bench and connected with Jeremy Maclin on a 76-yard touchdown pass in a playoff game at Dallas in January. It wasn't his fault that the Eagles were so inept that they failed to capitalize on that game-tying play.

On the other hand, it was his fault that a botched handoff in the second quarter ended up on the ground and in the hands of the Cowboys' Bobby Carpenter at the Eagles' 18-yard line. Dallas scored three plays later to go up 24-7 and was never threatened again.

Still, there's no denying Vick had some dangerous firepower in his first year back and presumably will have more with a full season and offseason of conditioning under his belt.

So who might still be interested?

Buffalo, Cleveland, even St. Louis, which still hasn't figured out its starter. Vick also seems to love the uniforms of the Carolina Panthers, who have cut Jake Delhomme.

And while we're on the subject of quarterbacks in stripes, maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers could be interested if the latest sexual assault accusation leveled at Ben Roethlisberger turns out to have more legs than the first one.

Vick's mentor, Tony Dungy, seems to think Buffalo would be a decent fit.

''They talked originally,'' Dungy said. ''There was some communication there. I think that could be a good spot.''

A whole lot can happen in the next few months. For now, the Eagles are content to stick with the hand they've dealt themselves and wait for somebody to blink.